Apple may accelerate its AI chip roadmap

$AAPL is reportedly preparing to launch a base M6 chip this fall, while skipping the M6 Pro, M6 Max, and M6 Ultra lineup.
Instead, Apple may move directly to M7.
The reason appears to be AI.
Apple reportedly planned major Neural Engine upgrades for M7 and decided those improvements were important enough to accelerate the next generation.
M7 is expected in H1 2027, with M7 Pro and M7 Max following later in 2027, and M7 Ultra in 2028.
The M7 Ultra could support up to 1.5TB of memory, roughly double the planned M5 Ultra capacity.
That matters because Apple’s future AI server strategy may require far more memory, compute, and in-house silicon control.
For $AAPL, the chip roadmap is becoming an AI roadmap.